Dingell Names Whip Team

House Energy & Commerce Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) has named the whip team for his effort to retain that powerful chairmanship, which includes oversight of the FCC and media issues, including the DTV transition.Dingell is being challenged by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), who argues he would make a better chairman.

The whip team are the legislators who are charged with lining up enough votes to make sure Dingell would win when the Democratic caucus votes on committee chairs for the next Congress. That vote is expected to happen Nov. 17 or 18.

The whip team has some familiar names, including former Redskins Quarterback Heath Shuler of Tennessee and Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois, as well as a number of powerful committee chairmen and subcommittee chairmen.

Co-chairmen of the whip team are Chet Edwards of Texas, Bart Stupak of Michigan, and Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania. Stupak and Doyle told reporters Thursday they were confident Dingell would win and surprised Waxman had mounted the challenge to the "Dean of the House"--Dingell has been a member for over 50 years.

Below is the lineup for Dingell's team:

"Robert E. Andrews (NJ-1), Member of the Committee on Armed Services;

John Barrow (GA-12), Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce;

Rick Boucher (VA-9), Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality;

Allen Boyd (FL-2), Member of the Committee on Appropriations and Co-Chair of the Blue Dog Coalition;

Kirsten E. Gillibrand (NY-20); Member of the Committee on Armed Services, Founder of the Congressional High Tech Caucus;

Charles A. Gonzalez (TX-20), Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus;

Bart Gordon (D-TN), Chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology and member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce;

Gene Green (TX-29), Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Environment and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee and Interim Chairman of the House Ethics Committee;

Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD); Member of the Committees on Natural Resources, Agriculture and Veterans Affairs, and Leader of the Blue Dog Coalition;

Baron P. Hill (IN-09), Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and member of the Blue Dog Coalition;

Jesse Jackson, Jr. (IL-2), Member of the Congressional Black Caucus and member of the Progressive Caucus;

Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30), Member of the Committee on Science and Technology, member of the Progressive Caucus, member of the Congressional Black Caucus;

Jim Matheson (UT-2), Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and Chair of Blue Dog Coalition Energy Task Force;

Charlie Melancon (LA-03), Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and member of the Blue Dog Coalition;

Gary Peters (MI-9), newly elected member;

Collin C. Peterson (MN-7), Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture;

Mike Ross (AR-04), Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and Co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition;

Bobby L. Rush (IL-1), Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, member of the Congressional Black Caucus and member of the Progressive Caucus;

Mark Schauer (MI-7), newly elected member;

Heath Shuler (NC-11), Member of the Young Democrats, Speaker Pelosi’s “30 Something” Working Group and the Committee on Natural Resources;

John S. Tanner (TN-8), Senior Member of the Blue Dog Coalition and member of the Committee on Ways and Means;

Ellen O. Tauscher (CA-10), Chair of the New Democrat Coalition and member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructur

Edolphus Towns (NY-10), Member of the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform and Energy and Commerce, and Congressional Black Caucus."v